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Question: 1. An astronaut with a mass of 90 kg (including spacesuit and equipment) is drifting away from hi...

1. An astronaut with a mass of 90 kg (including spacesuit and equipment) is drifting away from his spaceship at a speed of 0.20 m/s with respect to the spaceship. The astronaut is equipped only with a 0.50 kg wrench to help him get back to the ship. With what speed and in what direction relative to the spaceship must he throw the wrench for his body to acquire a speed of 0.10m/s back towards the spaceship? i know the answer will be 53.9m/s

Please i want to

1)identify your system, 2)identify the initial and final states of your system, 3)draw a bar chart, and explain your reasoning.

Answer 1

The system contains the astronaut and wrench.

Initial State - Momentum is only due to the drifting away of the astronaut.

Final State - Momentum due to moving of astronaut as well as the wrench.

We will be applying conservation of momentum.

Initial momentum = final momentum

90 x (-0.20) = 90 x 0.10 + 0.50 x V ( Assuming direction of velocity as negative when away from spaceship )

- 90 x ( 0.20 + 0.10 ) / 0.5 = V

V = -54 m/s

Therefore the wrench must be thrown in the direction the astronaut was drifting which was away from the spaceship. The momentum is conserved in this system because there is no external force.